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Macon County approves additional spending and contract changes for Highlands and Franklin school projects
Summary
The board approved budget amendment #111 totaling $560,845 and related testing/inspection and contract changes for Highlands School and approved geotechnical and commissioning contract changes for Franklin High School; votes on major items were 4–1, with Commissioner Higdon opposed.
Finance Director Lori Carpenter presented several motions on Nov. 12 to keep two school construction projects moving.
For the Highlands School project the board approved budget amendment #111 for $560,845 to cover furniture, instructional technology, pre‑K playground equipment, special inspections and testing fees, and an owner contingency. The board also approved WSP’s proposals for special inspections and materials testing ($74,300), an LS3P contract change related to structural foundations ($75,000), and Terracon’s environmental consulting proposal for vapor intrusion mitigation in the amount of $36,000. Carpenter said the Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) then stood at $8,832,083; adding the soft costs increases the total to $9,392,928. The package passed 4–1 (Commissioner Higdon opposed).
Separately, for the Franklin High School project the board approved Kessel Engineering Group’s geotechnical and testing proposal ($1,340,200) and an amendment to LS3P’s contract to add building commissioning services required by the North Carolina Energy Code; those approvals carried on 4–1 votes with Commissioner Higdon opposed.
Commissioners raised questions about soft‑cost line items, owner contingency and an all‑inclusive GMP figure; staff indicated some deadlines related to procurement and move‑in timing required timely approvals. The approvals allow procurement and vendor work to proceed under the revised scopes.
